First steps

The Arab spring, the Brazilian uprising or the Turkish protests at Taksim square – all over the world people stand up for their rights. In these movements, the Internet is playing a crucial role and there are huge debates on how the Internet (Social Media) enabled the oppressed people all over the world to fight for their rights – Terms like “Twitter-” or “Facebook-Revolution” occurred.

But talking about the use of the Internet in Revolutions is actually taking the second step before the first. The protestors did not only use the Internet to prepare the revolution and foster change – it is most likely that the Internet which makes a new form of communication possible also played a crucial role preliminary to the actual revolution in spreading universal values such as human rights.

In the debate about the universalism of human rights, the main counterargument against universalism is based on the fact that different cultural backgrounds lead to a different understanding of human rights. In turn, one could argue that transcultural communication leads to the emergence of universal values less dependent on the cultural background.

I’ll deepen my knowledge on transcultural communication and the Internet as a medium used for it.